ButterflyKiss wrote:We live in Canada and there is no coverage here by insurance so each ivf cycle is oop (out of pocket)

We save, save and save so we can do this hoepfully next Spring.

All the best to you as you try and do this again. I know some look at the Czech Republic, Barbados and even taking part in clinical trials. I hope you are blessed soon!

Blessings.

IVF is costly in western countries and obvious it is out of pocket from many common citizen of the country. Also it is not covered by the Insurance so It is advisable to the people of west, they can get their IVF Treatment done in asian countries where the cost of IVF in India is quite low compare to west countries.
Medical tourism of India is boom now days the main reason low cost infertility treatments with best and modern medical facilities.

After 10-years of trying, we went through IVF and it cost around $25K. The cycle failed and our options are another cycle or donor eggs.

After viewing IVF success rates carefully at various clinics, I believe that people must plan for at least 2 or 3 cycles before they are going to have a high probability of success. At this rate, we're looking at $75K+ for expenses!

My questions to everyone out there: Are most of you paying for all this yourselves or is insurance paying for this? I can understanding doing 3 cycles if insurance is paying for it, but for 90% of the people out there, coming up with this kind of cash is very difficult.

Also, having gone through an IVF now, I believe that it is (for the most part) a cook-book process. For example, you have three options as far as the cycle, then you have some choices for the fertilization etc. Has anyone thought to ask WHY is this so expensive? Because looking at it logically, there is nothing that seems so earth-shattering new, especially 30-years later after the first IVF. Or, is this the case of the doctor's just milking it for what they can?

My only comparison is when vision corrective surgery came out, it was very expensive. Now, you can get it for about $2K per eye! Besides the lower equipment costs, the majority of costs in these procedures are doctor's fees, which inevitably go down as the number of doctors who perform these procedures increase. Based on this, my only conclusion is that IVF will drop in cost in the next 5-10 years as the number of doctors who perform this procedure increase--unless of course the doctors figure out a way to limit the number of doctors (competitors) that will do this. Once again, it's the AMA controlling costs by controlling supply.

Anyway, we're thinking about what to do next, and going abroad to a reputable clinic seems to be a good option for getting IVF done at a fraction of the cost ($7,500), which seems very reasonable. The cost of the medicine is about the same, but the doctor fees are A LOT less, and at this point, it just seems like a probability game.

Just my few thoughts...looking forward to others' ideas.

I'm so sorry to hear about your ordeal - 10 years is a long long time for TTC and bear with the failures. Would you mind if I ask you a few details? How is your AMH? When your first IVF failed did you get any BFPs or it was all BFNs? Did you have a BFP during all these years, if yes, when? Firstly, I'll advice that if you are to pay for the cycle out of your own pocket it's best to go for DE and not take chance with another failed cycle. I know there are a certain amount of reluctance about donor eggs but you'll have to sort it first. Remember acceptance begins with you and a child moulds themselves only as a part of reciprocating to their immediate environment. I've been through the dilemma of DE+IVF so was just trying to help. Different countries have different coverage schemes for the IVF... some offer none at all like Canada, some restrict it to a certain age or a single try. NHS usually covers the first round till you're 36 years of age. I think reproductive tourism is the best option when there are financial constraints. I'll just mention two things that you must check before choosing a clinic - the success rate for your age band and provision for multiple tries. Always opt for multi-tries one - you might need more than 1 FET for success. Hope this helps! Good luck with your new clinic and do keep us all updated about the proceedings.

Avoid IVF and surrogacy in Ukraine. Ukrainian centers pay shills to post here under numerous sock accounts pretending to be patients in Ukraine. Centers using such deceptive advertising cannot be trusted and should be avoided.

Oops... I just saw the last comment date before posting and thought it's an active post might be some days off track. My apologies... I should have checked the post date carefully instead got overwhelmed with the long post. I need go get my eyesight checked for sure. Thanks Ghost!